Puzzling Inscription Etched Into His Gun...

Before Aaron Alexis opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard on Monday, he scratched this onto his shotgun:

"better this way" and "my ELF weapon."

ELF weapon? 

Was he out gunning for mythological creatures?  Was the gun a gift from the elves?  Or was he a member of the Erisian Liberation Front?  We may never know.